“Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off…It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, ‘Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.’ So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars…” (Judges 16:21-22,25)

Consider the heartbreaking story of Samson, who traded the secret of his anointed strength for sin. How foolish he was to throw away his supernatural power in his lust for a traitorous, immoral woman. Yet he did, and he suffered greatly for it. When he revealed to her the secret of his incredible physical strength—his hair that had never been cut since birth—she shaved it off, leaving him powerless against his captors.

At that time, mortal enemies would punish captives by brutally gouging out their eyes, thus rendering them harmless. Once Samson was taken captive, they gouged out his eyes and bound him in chains, forcing him to grind grain for hours every day, tied to a massive millstone, as if he were little more than an ox. As awful as this was, as is often the case, the consequence was unavoidable. He turned away from God when he looked at and lusted after what God had forbidden. Humiliated and alone, he had time to realize that he had brought his grievous suffering on himself. He knew, but ignored the truth. The truth that if God’s people fail to keep their focus on God alone and don’t turn away from temptation, they will fall into enemy hands and lose the power of their anointing—their usefulness to God.

Lost Strength Recovered Through Prayer

Though sightless, his spiritual vision was suddenly sharp, and he realized he was powerless without the Lord. Then came the day when his enemies arranged a celebration and said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us!” In front of 3,000 Philistines, he was ruthlessly ridiculed and mocked, yet Samson called out to God, and the strength that he had lost by sin was recovered by prayer! The hair on his head had begun to grow again. Did you catch that? His hair was growing! All that was lost was recovered. Our God is the God of recovery and restoration.

Great were the misdeeds of Samson, and he paid a terrible price for his sin, but he found mercy when he once again cried out to God. He repented and God forgave him. In fact, the celebration ended abruptly when Samson pulled down the pillars that held up the building, killing every one of the Philistines. Remarkably, he is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, honored alongside Gideon, David, and Samuel. In the last moments of his life, Samson returned to God, and God answered his prayer and used him greatly.

Perhaps you’ve become spiritually blind due to lust of the flesh. You have looked at evil things and this has led to blurred spiritual vision, chains that bind you, and grinding in a prison where you do not belong. Maybe you even traded your birthright for a cheap bowl of soup. Not only have you lost your eyes (spiritual vision), but you have lost your hair (glory and anointing) as well as your good name and reputation. The enemy has made you a laughing stock to the underworld. You are despised and rejected by men and now you bow your head in shame, wondering if God could ever restore you. If that describes you, I want you to know that God loves to provide restoration and gives second chances to those who repent.

A Cry for Restoration

Cry out to Him with all your heart and soul, and humbly repent for trading your anointing for sin. He will hear your cry for help and answer you. He will give you new vision to see things from His perspective. He will destroy the chains that bind you, and you will walk out of that prison and into your destiny. God declares you righteous because of the Blood of Jesus, and says you will recover all! Trust Him, and know He will rescue and restore you. He will revive you. You will reclaim all, for He is your refuge and strength, and by His power your hair will grow again! (Photo via Steve Porter)

Pray with me: You are a God of recovery and restoration! You love to give second chances to those who truly repent. You will revive me, and I will reclaim all, for You are my refuge and strength, and by Your power my hair will grow again!

If this article hits home, I want to release this prophetic word over your life…

Honey in the Carcass

“Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass.”(Judges 14:8 NLT)

The Father says: “My Precious child, hear the word of the Lord. Even as Samson walked the road toward Timnah and a young lion sprang toward him and roared, My Spirit came upon him with such force that Samson tore the lion apart with his bare hands; he had no weapon other than My power.

“In the same way I was with Samson, I will also be with you as you face the lions of life! They will attempt to terrorize and destroy you as if you were just a goat or a lamb. They roar and send waves of fear that paralyze My children. Yet the same power that caused Samson to rip apart the lion with his bare hands also dwells in you! I live within you, so stir up that anointing and refuse to allow the enemy to cripple you for even one more moment.

“The enemy of your soul, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour My children. Yet I am the Lion of Judah! When I roar, all others must bow before My great power. Samson faced the lion and conquered it, and so will you. After some time had passed, he once again passed the place where he had fought the lion and saw that only its carcass remained. Its flesh had been devoured so only the skeleton survived.

“My child, I want you to see My hand at work here. Your past contains the carcass of the lion that is dead and can no longer hurt you! All that remains is the carcass of painful defeats of your past. The young lion that once brought fear and intimidation now lies dead at your feet. The power of the Holy Spirit has brought the victory. Not even your failures can hurt you anymore, unless you believe and speak otherwise to empower them.

“Once you repent for past failures and bad choices, they have no power to hinder you or abort your destiny. For the righteous may fall, but they should choose to stand and fight once again. The enemy will try to tear you down with words of failure, discouragement and weariness—telling you that you will never be victorious—but put him in his place with words of faith that agree with My Word, and he will flee in terror at My name. I have given you power and authority over everything the devil can throw at you, but many of My children remain victimized because they fail to believe Me and act accordingly in faith to thwart the evil plans of the enemy.

“When you choose to agree with My will and My Word, I render harmless the young lions that attempt to destroy your purpose and destiny. I will fight for you as you stand in unity with My power and refuse to doubt. I will even place something sweet within that old carcass for you. Just as Samson found a swarm of bees with honey in the skeleton of that lion, I am going to bring something sweet into your life even from dead places.

“I will bring good even from life’s fiercest battles. Don’t worry about fighting the bees, for they are going to bring something productive into your life. I can even turn your failures into something sweet, so don’t be afraid to pass those skeletons on the road of life and clearly see the lessons I am teaching you. I will give the revelation, the goodness, and even the honey to mature you. Reach in and sweep out the honey from the dead places in your life. (Photo via Steve Porter)

“The enemy will try to declare that you are defenseless and useless to My Kingdom, but I say otherwise, so believe what I say. If you have a skeleton in your closet, repent and let me disarm the enemy with that sweet spirit of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. The only thing that matters is what I declare.

“Perhaps you have been discouraged and despairing after listening to the lies of the enemy and have walked great distances to avoid looking at the carcasses in your life. Hear this: there’s honey in that carcass. Once you’ve repented, I will turn that carcass into a thing of beauty that I will use to draw others to Me, as you tell of the great things the Lord has done on your behalf. Give those dead things to Me and I will turn them into honey for you. Watch and see the salvation of your God!” (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

Steve Porter
Refuge Ministries
Email: G524walk@yahoo.com
Website: www.findrefuge.tv

Steve Porter and his wife Diane founded “Refuge Ministries.” Steve is a regular contributor to many prophetic publications, including the Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and the Identity Network. His writings have been read worldwide by hundreds of thousands of people. He has also been interviewed by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and other TV programs. Steve’s books, articles, and videos have touched countless lives around the world.